Biology
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p42b..03p&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P42B-03
Biology
[0315] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Biosphere/Atmosphere Interactions, [0448] Biogeosciences / Geomicrobiology, [0706] Cryosphere / Active Layer, [5200] Planetary Sciences: Astrobiology
Scientific paper
Planetary exploration of Mars is rapidly advancing with high-resolution data from orbiting and landed instruments upending the image of a monotonously arid red planet and raising interest in the search for evidence of past or present Martian life. The plausibility of biotic influences on release and sequestration of water and other volatile molecules on Mars remains a highly contentious topic. Despite this uncertainty, treating volatile emissions as potential atmospheric biomarkers is prudent for planetary protection and is critical for refinement of exploration strategies aimed at life detection on Mars. Using deeply eroded Paleoproterozoic bedrock in southwestern Greenland as an analogue for Mars, a team of scientists from Indiana University, Princeton University, Goddard Space Flight Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Honey Bee Robotics is participating in a three-year field campaign to analyze seasonal and diurnal variation in concentration and isotopic composition of methane, ethane, and hydrogen sulfide in bedrock boreholes (0.5 to 2 m depth) and soil pipe wells (1 to 1.5 m depth) intersecting permafrost environments across a study site of about 1 km2. Open-path laser spectroscopy (OPLS) will be used from a fixed platform coupled to a roving reflector in order to map out gas emissions from a variety of bedrock and vegetated terrains in periglacial settings. OPLS mapping will be used to target sites for seasonal and diurnal monitoring surface fluxes of reduced gases. Bedrock boreholes will be drilled percussively and soil pipe-wells will be inserted by hand. Each borehole or well will have one fiber optic line and two capillary lines installed by hand through an inert screw-compression seal. The capillary lines will be used to transfer gas into detection instruments at the surface and the fiber optic line will allow transfer of data from temperature and pressure sensors to data loggers. The field campaign will culminate with an integrated drill-packer-optic-capillary system as a technology demonstration of semi-autonomous drilling for planetary exploration. Carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions for methane and ethane will be determined in the field using Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy and Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy. Continuous permafrost is present at the study site down to 300 m depth with temperatures dropping to -3 degrees C at a depth of about 4 meters, providing a relatively shallow and pristine setting for an instrumented study of reduced trace gases in soil, fractured bedrock, and groundwater constituting the active layer.
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